On
September 17, 1787, after weeks of often bitter debate by delegates
of the States gathered at the Constitutional Convention at Independence
Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the Constitution of the United States,
beginning with the words, "We, the People," was signed by
thirty-nine of the fifty-five delegates. The world was changed forever
as America began its 'great experiment' in self-government.

Never
before had a constitution been established in the name of "the
People" of a nation, rather than by and in the name of a monarch,
a state, or other governmental power. Many of the most erudite thinkers
of the so-called "Age of Enlightenment," did not believe that
a constitutional republic of limited government "by, for, and of
the people" could survive in a broad land containing a large and
diverse population. America is still an ongoing experiment in liberty.

The
Constitutional Convention had commenced on May 14, 1787, with a challenge
to the conscience and integrity of delegates by George Washington, commander-in-chief
of the Continental Army which had won the Revolutionary war. Washington,
then and now the model American patriot, was elected President of the
Constitutional Convention by unanimous vote.

"If
to please the people, we offer what we ourselves disapprove, how can
we afterward defend our work? Let us raise a standard to which the wise
and honest can repair; the event is in the Hand of God," said Washington,
who would later become the First President of the United States and
be regarded as "the Father of his country."

The
delegates were learned American patriots who had studied history deeply
to meet the task of creating a constitution fit for a free people. Thomas
Jefferson, who authored the Declaration of Independence but did not
participate in the Constitutional Convention because he was in Paris
representing the United States, wrote of the delegates with utmost respect
as "a gathering of demigods."

The
Constitution the framers wrought in the name of "We, the People,"
was one creating a government of expressly limited powers – a
llimited federal government of not a national government of self-expanding
powers.

The
subsequently adopted "Bill of Rights," contained in the First
Ten Amendments, for which the efforts of James Madison earned him recognition
as "the Father of the Constitution," begin with five words
limiting powers of the federal government over the people:

"Congress
shall make no law…," respecting an establishment of religion
nor abridging the fundamental rights of free exercise of religion, freedom
of speech, of press, of assembly, of petition for redress of grievance.
These are rights which the Founding Fathers believed Americans were
"endowed by their Creator," as expressed in the Declaration
of Independence. That is, the Founders believed these were natural rights,
rights granted by the "hand of God, not the hand of a generous
government.," as the late President John F. Kennedy would express
it.

The
Ninth and Tenth Amendments reinforced the words "Congress shall
make no law…" by mandating that the people and the states
retained all rights not enumerated as possessed by the central government.

Never
before in history had "We, the people," had their natural
rights so expressly protected by a constitution so expressly limiting
the government as to its powers. By changing the relationship of the
people and their government, limiting the power of government and making
the retained rights of the people superior, the Founding Fathers changed
the world. Ever after, the people of the world who have dreamed of the
freedoms of Americans, have looked to the values expressed in the American
Declaration of Independence, and the United States Constitution, as
a model for liberty in a constitutional republic.

The
framers of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers of America, were faced
with a great challenge, and they met it. The Constitution which they
framed was finally ratified by all states by January 10, 1791. It has
now endured for 225 years since it was signed on Sept. 17, 1787.

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"What
kind of government have you given us, Mr. Franklin," an American
woman asked Founding Father Benjamin Franklin at the close of the convention.

"A
republic, Madam," Ben Franklin replied. "If you can keep it."

That,
the keeping of the free constitutional republic that the Founding Fathers
bequeathed to us, is our challenge.

We
owe a great debt to all those Founding Fathers and other Americans who
came before us who preserved our freedom. We pay that debt by what we
do to preserve freedom for those Americans who will come after us.

REES
LLOYD is a longtime civil rights attorney and veterans activist whose
work has been honored by, among others, the California Senate and Assembly,
and numerous civil rights, workers rights, and veterans rights organizations.
He has testified as a constitutional expert at hearings before the U.S.
House and Senate representing The American Legion.

He
has been profiled, and his work featured, by such varied print media
as the Los Angeles Times and American Legion Magazine, and such broadcast
media as ABC's Nightline and 20/20, Fox News In The Morning, and, among
others, by Hannity. His writings have appeared in a variety of national,
regional, and local newspaper, magazine, and other publications. He
is a frequent radio commentator, and a sought after speaker.*

[*For identification only. The views expressed here are solely Rees
Lloyd's and not necessarily any person, entity or organization he may
otherwise represent. ]

"What
kind of government have you given us, Mr. Franklin," an American
woman asked Founding Father Benjamin Franklin at the close of the convention.
"A republic,
Madam," Ben Franklin replied. "If you can keep it."